This is the central mountain, which commands a view of most of the island, though this will be of limited use in many parts due to the cover of trees. The mountain itself is lightly wooded, though the top has been cleared and a bench set up, facing west, with a perfect view (at the right time of day) of the setting sun. A trail allows access to the mountaintop.* Threads Allowed: 3 *

Saul's eyes darted open. Before him stood the base of a fairly large sized mountain. He then squinted, the early morning light peeking over the mountainside. He closed his lids, the darkness soothing his eyesight. He felt the rough bark of the tree he was leaning against digging into his back.

A tree? Why am I outside? Weren't we on the bus to...

His eyes shot open, the memories seeping back. He was on the bus, when suddenly...

The dam in his mind collapsed, the memories flooding back in a torrent. He stood up quickly, intending to get a move on and cover some ground before anyone came.

"SHIT!" he yelped as his sudden action send the top of his head crashing into a low hanging branch. He sunk to his knees, reaching his right hand to his head and leaning forward on his left. But, his left hand landed on the corner of a fabric bag, slipping at a weird angle. He looked, seeing a pack where his hand was.

He narrowed his lids, shooting the bag a mean glare. They said there's a weapon in there. A weapon I have to use... to kill my friends?

He hit the bag aside, moving it about a foot and a half. He removed his toque, the black, familiar stitching almost comforting. He clenched his hand around it. I won't be going home. Not unless I... kill everyone...

The thought disgusted him to no end. Saul was by no means a pacifist, but the thought of taking another life appalled him. Surely, everyone must be thinking the same. He knew it. Unless...

Unless they're willing to kill me, too.

He mulled over the concept. This WAS Survival of the Fittest. And maybe some of the... less desirable types would take advantage over youth of today's avoidance of violence. Only the fittest survive. Only the ones with the will to live. Only...

"The predators."

He thought back to his science classes. In the animal kingdom, the carnivores usually hunted the weaker, more peaceful herbivores. But some herbivores have defense mechanisms. The gazelle's speed, the turtles shell, and the butterfly's wings.

I'm not a predator, but I'm sure as fuck not going to be a fucking defenseless herbivore.

He looked to the bag to his left. He clenched his teeth, taking a hold of the strap and pulling it towards himself.

Let's see my defense mechanism.

Digging past the food, map, and other contents, he finally wrapped his hand around a solid, circular object.

A baseball? What kind of...

Then, he noticed a flat point in the otherwise flawless sphere. He gulped, "Don't tell me..." he muttered as he pulled his hand out.

He found himself holding an 8-ball. Not any 8-ball, but one of the novelty fortune-telling 8-balls you find in joke shops. "Fuck me sideways." he grumbled, his resolve damaged severely.

He turned it over, peering into the opaque purple fluid on the inside. He saw the corner of the most important piece pressing against the small plastic window. Suddenly, he began shaking it. "Magic 8-ball. Am I fucked?"

He stopped and peered back into the depths of the sphere. Soon, the middle bit slid into place, the words becoming clear.

SIGNS POINT TO YES

His eye twitched. He stood up, holding the ball in his shaking hand. Then, he gripped it mightily, and flung it to the ground, sending it to the earth with a THUMP! He clenched his now empty hands into a fist, as tears began to slowly cloud his vision.

Garry stood, looking up at the top of the mountain in front of him. He had been awake for around twenty minutes, and he was currently in a foul mood. When he'd first woke up and realised the gravity of the situation he found himself in, he was scared stiff as well as pissed off. He'd hastily unzipped his bag for his weapon, and pulled out a long pole with three blades on it, a long thin blade at the tip with two curved blades on either side of it. It seemed to be quite a decent weapon, which calmed him down a touch.

'Shame I'm not going to be using it,' he thought, glancing at the blades that reflected the dawn sun.

It was ironic. Despite being a fan of creatures that wouldn't hesitate to rip a human to shreads in a heartbeat, Garry wasn't a violent person himself. If ever he was ticked off or full blown furious about something or other, he would usually take his frustrations out on an ice hockey puck in the rink, not another person.

'I'm not on a hunt for prey, I'm on a hunt for my pack,' Garry thought. The pack in question was the ice hockey team, whoever ended up going on the 'trip' with him anyway. 'Safety in numbe-'

"SHIT!"

Garry jumped at the sudden expletive, looking around him and holding the ji up in defence. 'That didn't sound like it was that far away from me,' he thought, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. 'Wait, I recognise that voice!'

Garry started walking towards the source of the noise, careful not to trip over any rocks, branches or the like. He couldn't put his hands out to stop the fall, seeing at both were already wrapped around the staff of his weapon. It took him a few minutes of walking before he saw a familiar black haired person wearing a green hoodie, standing there and looking to be... crying? Garry smiled for possibly the first time that day; he'd found one of his allies.

"Saul!"

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Cyrille was fully awake within a few minutes after she had realized where she was and what was happening. First she understood she was somewhere in the outdoors and not in some nice comfy house. Second she realizes she was part of Survival of the Fittest. The dreadful so call game that force students to kill one and other. The third was the fact that Violetta was also on the trip. She was also on the island and playing the exact same game. Tears began to start flowing at the thought of Violetta being in danger. Her closest partner was in a life and death situation.

Her first thoughts were to find her. She needed to find Violetta and keep her safe. She didnt care as much about her own safety of the thought of student killing one and other. It was the safety of her girlfriend that came first. Cyrille knew she had to act quickly if she ever hopes to find her before something happen to her dear Violetta. Standing up with a burst of energy and determination she wipes away her tears and she went towards her bad. Arriving to it she quickly drops to her knees and opens the bag. She needed her weapon right away. After a few seconds she had realize what he weapon was. She looks in mix horror of what she held in her hand. Cat ears. She threw the thing away as fear crept up. Now she was unarmed and in danger. She knew she had to find someone she could trust quickly if she was ever going to get to Violetta. Her wish was granted when she heard shouting. She quickly grabs her bag and ran towards the voices and hoping to god that they were not playing the game.

Arriving she saw one boy crying and unarmed. Perfect he was obviously just as terrified as her. He was a potential ally. She was ready to run up to the boy when suddenly another one pop out. She drops to her knees in an attempt to hide to see what the second boy would bring. Luckily it seems he was also harmless as instead of attacking the black hair boy he called out his name. Saul was it? Cyrille knew this was her chance to get two allies and one who was armed. She would need them to find Violetta. She waited to let the two boys get to see each and other before she made her appearance. After a few minutes she stood up and walk towards them.

Excuse me Boys? Hi Im Cyrille Im not playing Im just trying to find someone Can Can I stick with you guys? I got stupid cat ears as my weapon so Im unarmed At that point she shut her mouth. Not only was she giving out what weapons she had but she also made it aware that she was terrified. If these guys ever change their mind they could easily

Not long after throwing his 'weapon' to the ground, Saul heard a familiar voice. He quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeves before looking towards the source of the voice. I can't show weakness. If it's a predator, the will surely take advantage of me.

His dampened eyes shifting, his gaze moved towards a form he recognized. A smile was raised from his lips, his arms dropping from his face. "Garry!" he said, fully turning his body towards his friend. Thank God, he thought, if he had been a player, I would have been dog food.

After a few minutes of conversation one would think would come up in the situation ('You okay?', 'Yeah, I'm scared too.', etc.), he heard another voice to his side. He snapped his head to the source of the voice, having not expected it. Oh shit! I didn't even see them come close!

His gaze on her, he recognized the new person, who had introduced herself as Cyrille. He gave a small smile, trying to reassure the small, scared-looking girl. "I... don't see why not," he said , choosing his words with caution, "You can join us until you find whoever you're looking for."

His mind flicked through it's contents, searching for any information he had heard about her. Soon, he remembered hearing about a girl, Violetta Lindsberg, that was dating another girl named Cyrille. It wasn't much, but he knew she must be looking for her girlfriend. That'll be the first thing, he thought, lovers will try to find each other. Even in the situation, they can find solace in the arms of the people they love.

After an awkward moment of silence, he turned to Garry, "What do you think, Gar?"

'Cat ears? What the hell were they thinking?' Garry thought in bewilderment as he heard the girl give out her weapon. 'They're next to useless, how is she supposed to defend herself with those? Anyway, I'd better answer Saul.'

"Yeah, you can join us," Garry spoke, smiling as best he could, given their current circumstances. Put on an island and forced to fight to the death, there was precious little to smile about. "Who is it you're looking for, by the way?"

Somewhere in the vicinity, a branch snapped. Garry immediately turned to face where the noise came from, holding the ji out in front of him. He glared past the blades at whatever, or whoever, had just turned up on their doorstep. "Who's there?" he demanded.G109: Miranda Merchant - V4 Start

'This... this is a disaster,' Miranda thought, having trudged close to the base of the mountain for the past half an hour. Her normally sleek blonde hair was speckled with dirt and twigs from when she'd woken up on the ground, and one of her sandles looked like it was going to fall apart at any second. 'I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere, I've lost some hearing in my right ear, I've been told to kill the other students in my grade, and all I have to defend myself with is this piece of shitty wire.'

The length of garrotte wire, her assigned weapon, was held limply in her left hand, while she held an opened water bottle in her right. 'What do I do? Should I do the unthinkable and... fight to survive?' She took a sip of water and shook her head. 'No! I can't do that, it's not right!'

She paused her trek when she heard the sound of talking coming from not too far away, coming from her left. 'Other people! Oh please, please let them be friendly.' Had the voices been coming from her right, she may have not heard them at all due to her ear infection.

She started to make her way to the source of the conversation, unintentionally stepping on a branch as she approached the students. She heard one of them, a male, suddenly call out, having possibly heard the noise she'd generated. "It's me, Miranda," she shouted out in reply, walking out from the trees towards the trio. "D-don't kill me, I come in peace."

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Cyrille smile as the two boys accepted her. She felt safe knowing that she had some help. It was also nice that one of the boys was armed with a weapon. She figured she could trust them to help her find Violetta.

Thank you both so much Im not sure what I would have done if you havent helped me honestly. She started. As for your question Im looking for Violetta Lindsberg. Shes my girlfriend. I greatly appreciate it if you guys would help me find her. She means the wor- She was cut off when a branch snapped some distances away.

Like Gar she turned around to face the newcomer. Of course unlike him she wasnt arm but instead terrified as hell. She quickly approaches the boys in case someone dangerous was coming. At least then Gar could protect her. Eventually he called the person out and came out a terrified girl. Cyrille sigh with relief. Without consider it she simply walk forward to the girl.

Are you alright? My name is Cyrille Look we wont attack you right Gar, Saul? She said turning around to face the two boys.

Saul jumped to the sound of the snapping branch. Quickly scooping up the 8-ball and clenching it in his hand, knuckles whitening. It may be a ball of plastic, but it's hard enough to at least daze someone, he thought.

His grip lessened as he saw a young girl, naming herself Miranda, step from the treeline. He sighed in relief, glad that it wasn't someone who would attack them... for now. He slipped the 8-ball into the pocket of his hoodie and replaced his toque. He said nothing during the exchange, only going to his bag and digging out the map and compass. I don't have to worry about myself anymore. There are more people with me, now. The least I can do is find out where we are and maybe find a safe place for now... if there is such a thing.

He checked his compass, moving until he faced in a northern direction. Then, he looked at the map, finding the square with the mountain in it. Itching at his neck above the collar, which he had hardly noticed until now, he turned about, facing them, "Hey, lovelies. I'd hate to interrupt the meet and greet, but I think we should get a move on, at least for now. We're lucky that we've only met us, and it might be that way for a while, but when someone who is playing finds us, I don't know if any of us are up to killing a person."

"No, we're not going to kill you, we're not taking part in this game, if you can call it one," Garry replied, lowering his weapon so he didn't look as threatening to the newcomer. "We're going to be looking for Violetta."

He looked round to Saul, who was checking the map and then announced that the group should start moving off before someone else - someone with more murderous intentions - arrived on the scene.

'Saul's got a good point,' Garry thought, looking around him for anybody else who might be nearby. 'But if someone attacks us, it's really gonna be down to me to protect everyone. Saul's ball-thing won't be much good, and what can you do with a piece of wire if we're ambushed? But even if I do have a decent enough weapon, would I really have the guts to use it? Could I kill someone else if it meant I saved these lives?'

"Let's... let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Garry stated, gripping the ji even tighter as he tried to flush those thoughts from his head. "You found any places we could head off to then?" he asked, turning to face Saul.
'Well that's a relief,' Miranda thought, glad that her life wasn't about to be cut short just yet. Garry, she knew very well, since he was in her biology class. He was weird, yes, but he didn't seem like the killing type. Saul, he was the guy who played the husky mascot, but the other girl, who went by the name of Cyrille, she didn't know her all that well.

"Violetta? I haven't seen her, you're the first people I've seen since I woke up," Miranda replied, tilting her left side of her head to face the others. She suddenly clenched her right eye as a sudden jolt of pain went through her ear. "Ow! Goddamn ear," she muttered. 'The doctor said my ear would be back to normal in a few days,' she thought, trying to ignore the throbbing pain while inspecting the damage done to one of her sandles. 'That's all well and good, except for the fact I might be dead in a few days!'

Saul then announced that the newly-formed group should start making a move, then Garry asked Saul about where they would be going. "Hey, Saul, I know you've got the map and you're doing the navigation, but I had a look at my map a while ago," Miranda chimed in. "Do you think it would be best if we found a building and took shelter there for a while? It'll be a lot, lot easier to defend it, wouldn't you agree?"

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Cyrille smiled as all three individuals agreed to help her find Violetta. Vio meant everything to her and the fact that these three were willing to help gave her a new sense of hope.

Merci Cyrille thanked in French. Of course now they had to move out somewhere safer. Saul had a point that it was probably dangerous staying here. Miranda on the other hand added to move to a building for better protection. It made sense at first until Cyrille realized it had a deadly flaw.

Wait A building might not be the best idea. First what if someone was already there? Then they have the advantage and I doubt they let us in. Second even if we find an empty building I doubt it will remain that for long. Were probably not the only group whos going to seek shelter. What if someone who has a gun came along? I mean Gar has a weapon but against a gun... I understand it seems safe but were also going where everyone else is drawn too. And some other people might be you know playing  Cyrille said slightly worried. Of course she did have her own idea. What if we found a cave instead? I mean it is harder to defend but otherwise it should have fewer individuals And it can also provide us shelter. She said wondering what the others might think. Of course in the end she was willing do follow Saul anywhere at this point. Speaking of Saul she went ahead to look at him. I said my case but in the end Ill follow wherever you go Saul.

Saul blinked, the sudden questions from the three of them catching him off-guard. Stupid, he thought, of course they'll ask you. You're the one that mentioned it.

He looked back at his map, scanning the gridded document. He spotted a few place where one could get inside. Also, he saw markings indicating mines and tunnels. He chewed his lower lip, mulling it over. He looked back up, sighing, and said, "There's lots of places we could go. While I agree with Cyrille of the dangers of being in a building, I think we would be at a bigger disadvantage in the mines or tunnels. The way I see it, it's low-lights, it'd be easier to lose one another, and it would be easy to sneak up on one of us. If we take a building, we do run the risk of finding other people, but at least we'd have a better chance of defending ourselves."

He looked back to the map, scanning the places one could go inside. "Well," he continued, "There looks to be a few places we could go." He pulled off his hat again, scratching the back of his head.

"Looks like there's a ranger station close to here. For now, let's hole up there."

He raised his eyes to his newly found companions, putting on a determined face. If he couldn't be brave for himself, he could at least pretend to be, if only to give them some hope.